Not A Fairytale
by Lady Drama
Summary: AU. One bored princess. One amazingly handsome asassin. Loads of Trouble with a capital T. Summary changed. MxN! ABANDONED
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice**

_Chapter One_

Natsume Hyuuga was an assassin. Not yet twenty years of age and already known and feared all over the world as the Black Cat. He was a shadow of fear, operating in the darkness. Ordinary people sat in their pubs and exchanged tales of his exploits, the nobles lived in dread of him and the army would have gladly paid 50,000 gold coins for the identity of his master or his capture.

Yet no one had ever seen him, no one knew what he looked like. No one knew that he was not merely a killing machine.

Natsume was a master of disguise by necessity. Being one of the most wanted men in the world made it inconvenient to just wander around wearing his own face. But on the rare occasions when he was himself, he was breath-taking. Unruly raven locks framed a compelling face and mesmerizing crimson eyes.

On the other hand, Princess Sakura knew no such shadows. She was 17 years of age, at once wise and innocent. Mikan had mahogany hair that was long enough to reach her waist and azure eyes. She was always smiling, laughing for the sheer joy of living and inviting everyone to join in her happiness. She was the second child of her parents and had two brothers, Tsubasa and Youichi. Tsubasa was older than she was and had recently been coroneted as the King of Alician and Youichi had just turned 10.

King Persona sat on his throne and said, "Hmm….interesting"

He clicked his fingers. A trembling page appeared.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"Send for the Black Cat immediately"

The page bowed and withdrew. He wondered what the king wanted with the poor lad now.

"You sent for me?"

"Yes. The situation up in Alician has become rather…shall we say unusual?"

"In what way?"

"Well, according to my spies' reports, it is not King Tsubasa who is ruling"

"Then who?"

"It seems his sister is the one whom the nobles and people truly follow"

"I see. Now you want me to…?"

"Kill her"

"Yes, your majesty"

Natsume bowed and withdrew. Much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't really suited for this job. The guilt he had been feeling lately irritated him. At first, he hadn't felt any mercy for his victims because they had deserved it. They had been greedy, corrupt lords, with as little compassion for their fellow creatures as for animals. But lately, he had…

He shut his eyes. No, he would not let himself feel anything. Tomorrow, he would set out for another mission. A new day, a new challenge.

****************

Two weeks later preparations were in full swing for the celebration of Princess Sakura's 18th birthday.

"Baka" said the Princess's best friend, Hotaru, pointing her latest invention, a baka ray, at a servant who was placing a yellow balloon among the blue ones.

"Noooo Hotaru!" cried Mikan.

"I 'm afraid I can't hear you" said Hotaru coolly and a second later, the servant slumped, unconscious.

"Try to leave some people awake Hotaru, otherwise we'll have to do everything on our own"

"Whatever you say, baka. It is your birthday after all" she said pointing the baka gun at Mikan, who managed to dodge it.

"Princess! This is the new page. He has just arrived today"

Mikan turned and found herself confronted by a pair of crimson orbs.

"Natsume, this is our Princess" continued the housekeeper, Misaki, smiling.

Natsume inclined his head in a cool gesture of respect.

"Everything about him just screams arrogance!" thought Mikan, indignant that he apparently hadn't thought her worthy of more respect.

Nevertheless, she smiled and said, "Welcome! I'm afraid I have to leave now. There are lots of preparations that I have to oversee"

"And she obviously wants to get away from a lowly, unimportant page" thought Natsume cynically.

"Princess! Princess, aren't you ready yet?" her housekeeper, Misaki, came bustling in. She looked at Mikan in horror.

"Princess what are you doing?" she cried.

Mikan looked up guiltly. She and her friend, Ruka had been having so much fun blowing up balloons and then throwing them at each other that they had forgotten all about the time.

"I'm sorry Misaki"

"What would your brother say if you came down to the ball dressed like this?" she chided.

Mikan and Ruka bit back grins. It had not escaped their notice that the King and Misaki were getting rather fond of each other.

"Come on now! We need to hurry!" said Misaki, ushering Mikan out of the room.

An hour later Mikan emerged from her room looking absolutely stunning. Ruka, who was waiting to escort her downstairs, let out a low whistle of appreciation.

"Isn't this dress beautiful?" asked Mikan happily.

"It isn't the dress that's beautiful, it's you" said Ruka huskily.

Mikan blushed and said, "Thank you, Ruka-pyon"

"Shall we?" asked Ruka gallantly offering her his arm.

She smiled and took it. As she walked down the hall towards the staircase, all the pages smiled to see her joy. All except one.

Natsume just looked as coolly unaffected as ever.

"Another rich little girl, living it up with her father's money" he thought

But it couldn't be denied that she looked gorgeous. She was wearing a beautiful white gown and it seemed to lend her an almost ethereal glow. Her hair was tied back in a soft chignon and she looked extremely elegant.

As she entered the ballroom, conversations came to a standstill and people craned their necks just to catch a glimpse of her. Then, as one, they lifted their glasses in a toast to her.

"To the birthday girl!" cried Tsubasa and the crowd repeated "To the birthday girl, our Princess!"

Mikan blushed and said "Thank you! I'm so happy all of you could come and make this day special!"

The music started and couples started dancing. Mikan danced and chatted with all her guests. She had a way of making people feel as if they were special and important. Which was probably why, Natsume noted, her brother's subjects followed her with such devotion.

As he idly scanned the room, Natsume saw someone move, almost like a shadow in the balcony. The stranger was dressed in black, a strange choice for a ball. He saw the stranger take out a bow and arrow and carefully take aim. The stranger moved and for a fraction of a second, he could see the stranger's face clearly.

He swore. No! This could not be happening! Persona had promised!

Almost as if in a dream, he saw who the arrow was pointed towards – Princess Mikan

The next thing that he did was so incredible that for a second everyone, including him, thought it _was_ a dream.

He threw himself towards the Princess who was dancing and laughing at something at something her partner had said. Mikan turned, wide-eyed. A second later, they were both rolling on the floor, wrapped up in each other's arms.

"What the..?" roared Tsubasa.

A moment later a quivering arrow was embedded in the wall in front of which, a few seconds ago, Mikan had been standing.

The stunned crowd was silent.

Suddenly a man started clapping. Slowly, the applause grew louder as the people thanked the young man who'd saved their beloved princess.

"How dare you?" Mikan screamed, cheeks flaming. She still hadn't realized that her life had been in danger

Natsume got up, his mind whirling. He had just saved the life of the person who was supposed to be his next victim. And the figure in the balcony….. How could this be happening?

It was only then he realized that the arrow had grazed his shoulder. Mikan, who had by now realized what was happening, at once turned to help him up.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah" he mumbled.

"He's bleeding!" yelled someone.

"Out of the way, out of the way, everyone!" came Misaki's voice.

"I'm fine!" insisted Natsume.

"Rubbish. You're bleeding. Come on, we'll go patch this up. Princess you should also go and clean yourself up"

Mikan looked down at her dress and realized that it was covered in dirt and Natsume's blood.

"But he…"

"Now, now, I'll take care of him. After all, it's your birthday"

Mikan reluctantly turned to leave after she noticed Hotaru fingering her Baka gun.

Just as Natsume was about to leave the hall, she whirled around and cried, "Wait! What's your name?"

Natsume's thoughts were still pretty jumbled up. "Huh?" he said.

"She asked you your name" said Ruka gently. He was helping Misaki get the half-conscious lad out.

"Natsume Hyuuga"

The next day Mikan fidgeted impatiently while Misaki tied the ribbons on her gown. She wanted to go and meet the brave footman who had saved her life yesterday evening. Tsubasa and the rest of the Councillors and Advisors of Alician had questioned her after the incident but she couldn't for the life of her think who would hate her enough to want her dead. As far as she knew she had no enemies. She was nice to everyone, from the highest noble to the most unimportant peasant. Then who had sent that assassin?

"Princess do stop fussing! I can't tie these ribbons properly if you fidget so much"

"Then let them be Misaki!" said Mikan impatiently.

Misaki snorted. "And let you run down the stairs to the hospital ward to see a boy looking like you've been waiting to do nothing but that all morning?"

"But I have been waiting to visit Natsume in the ward all morning!"

"That may be so but as a royal you have a dignity to maintain, Princess"

"Dignity be damned. I hate all these frilly dresses anyway. Why can't I just wear simple shirts and breeches like Youichi and Tsubasa?"

"Oh Mikan, not that argument again!"

"Its completely irrational in my opinion. Men get to walk around freely and not worry about things like tripping over their own dresses while women have to watch their every step to make sure that they don't fall over themselves like clowns in a circus!"

"Princess Mikan will you just stand still!" said Misaki, exasperated, "I don't want to hear another word from you

now!"

Mikan kept quiet so that Misaki would quickly finish and she could go downstairs and apologize to Natsume. She was still embarrassed by her behavior towards him the night before, before she had realized that he had saved her life.

The moment Misaki said "There! I'm done now", Mikan flew down the steps. She was in such a hurry that she ran into a man. Stopping for a second to apologize, she did a double take when she spotted a familiar dark head and crimson eyes, walking down the corridor, towards the courtyard.

"What's he doing out of bed? He should be resting" she thought.

She followed him until they both reached a Sakura tree. Natsume sat down in the shade provided by the tree. He had his head in his hands. Arguments were running in his head, giving him no peace…

How could Persona….

Did that mean he was no longer….

But then why did Persona give him this mission…

Was it just to get him out of the way….

Had Persona known that he would object….

But then what about their agreement….

Did that mean it was all over….

He groaned, unable to find answers to any of his questions.

"Is your shoulder hurting you?" came a concerened voice. He raised his head and found himself confronted by the biggest hazel eyes that he had ever seen. They were on him, watching him intently and…could it be…sympathetically? It felt strange. No one had ever taken care of him. He had been stared at several times but those glances had always been curious, assessing, sizing him up. No one had ever looked at him as though they genuinely cared about him …. except for that person of course.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

The girl in front of him blushed. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. I was unforgivably rude"

He frowned. His memories of the last evening were a little hazy and he had no idea who this girl was or what she was apologizing for. But still he felt like teasing her a little.

"If you were 'unforgivably rude' then why expect my forgiveness?"

"Well of all the…" she said indignantly, "its just a phrase! When somebody says that you're suppose to say 'It's alright'"

"I didn't realize we were on a stage with all the parts already decided and dialogues written"

Mikan was amazed. She had felt the same way when had first appeared in court. Everyone had been so proper, so rigidly following the codes of etiquette that she had felt as if everyone had written down exactly what they had to say to whom before entering . But how could this arrogant footman know that?

She looked at him strangely. "What did you just say?"

"Do you have hearing problems as well as being ugly, little girl?"

The color rose up to her face and she screamed "I am not ugly!"

"Whatever you say, Polkadots" he smirked.

"Polkadots?" repeated Mikan, confused. Where had Polkadots entered the conversation from?

His smirk grew bigger.

And then she realized….

"Pervert!" screamed Mikan, picking up a rock and throwing it at him.

"You have a pretty good aim" he said as he neatly dodged the stone, "for a girl" he added, dodging the second rock.

"Why you…."

"I know sweetheart, I defy description"

"Don't call me sweetheart you pervert!"

Abruptly his mood turned serious.

"Who are you?" he asked grabbing her fist as she bent to pick up another stone.

Mikan's hazel orbs looked into his crimson ones in shock. Had he lost his memory? Suddenly she remembered that after he had pushed her out of the way, the two of them had hit the hard marble floor and he had shifted her in his arms and hit his head instead.

"I'm so sorry" she whispered.

Natsume looked at her beautiful face. She seemed familiar, vaguely he remembered that she was someone important.

When he had woken up, Natsume had been told that he had rescued the Princess Sakura, a fact which he found ironical, considering that he had been sent to kill her. But the shock of seeing that person in the balcony combined with the impact of the hard floor had cleared almost everything that had passed last evening from his mind, right down to his introductions to the palace staff and the princess. Vaguely, he felt irritated that he could no longer remember the face that he was supposed to remove.

"Who are you?" he repeated, giving her a little shake to break the reverie that she had apparently fallen into.

"I am…" she hesitated. What should she say? A wild idea had formed in her head. She had always been the cosseted Princess Sakura. After Tsubasa's behavior at yesterday's meeting , she could tell that the guard around her would be doubled by tonight. Sometimes she longed to break free, to…to just be herself. To be Mikan, not Princess Sakura. What should she say? If she told him her real name he would probably bow and scrape like the rest of them, she thought. So definitely not Princess Sakura. Should she say Mikan? No, one of the old palace maids who like to gossip would probably tell him the truth soon…then what about…

"Yuka" she said, adopting her mother's name.

"Took you long enough. Tell me, is everything about you defective? Your hearing, your face and now it turns out, even your memory?"

"Aarrggh! You irritating boy!" she said flouncing off.

Natsume inwardly smiled a little. She looked so cute when she was annoyed. Wait, what the hell was he thinking? Cute? But still he felt intrigued enough to ask one of the old kitchen maids about her later that day.

"Ehhh? What did you say?" said the old woman, holding an ear trumpet close to her ear.

"WHO IS YUKA?" shouted Natsume for the tenth time.

"No need to shout, I'm not deaf, you know"

"Alright, fine. No need to get offended"

"Ehhhh?"

"JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION FOR GOD'S SAKE!" he screamed, finally losing patience.

"Rude I call it, shouting at a poor old woman like me. Anyway, to answer your precious question, yes, we do have a maid with that name here. She's in charge of cleaning the Princess's bedroom"

"I see" said Natsume She was probably well-paid for taking care of the princess and was perhaps something of a companion to her, which would explain her fine clothing, he thought. Perhaps cultivating her acquaintance would help him get closer to Princess Sakura. After all that was the main reason that he as here…..

He sighed, thinking of the distasteful job that lay ahead of him.

After he left, a group of giggling maids who doubled as his fan-girls requested the old woman to tell them what their idol had been asking her about.

"Ehhhh?"

"WHAT WAS NATSUME ASKING YOU ABOUT?"

"Oh that boy. Honestly, I just don't understand why young people theses days shout so much. This generation had no manners, why in my day we…"

"JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

"Hmpf. He was asking about Suka"

"Suka?" said his chief fan-girl Sumire, astonished. Suka was an old woman and had been the princess's maid for as long as anyone could remember. She was about 70 years old, a hunch-back and thin as a stick. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Good? Bad? Pathetic? Review/PM me and tell me what you think…..


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer – Hang on, lemme check……..no, Gakuen Alice isn't lying around anywhere in this trash can I call my room so I guess it isn't mine.**

CHAPTER TWO

The next day Mikan woke up early, feeling refreshed. It was a beautiful morning. She scrambled out of bed, hastily pulled her nightgown down and ran to her window, throwing it open. Outside the window, she could see the palace gardens and of course the sakura tree that had been one of her best friends since childhood. It was about 30 feet tall and planted so close to the palace wall that one of the branches actually entered her window. Countless guards and even her brothers had attempted to persuade her to let them cut it down because any intruder could easily enter using it but she had refused to let any of them near her friend and looked so fierce that none of them dared to disagree with her.

Actually Mikan had another reason for wanting the branch exactly where it was. It provided an easy means for her to escape into the garden, unobserved by the palace guards.

Looking at the pleasant weather outside, Mikan quickly put on her oldest gown and climbed down the tree. She stood under the tree and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the sweet…..

"Oy Polkadots, if you're done panting like you just ran a thousand miles could you get off my place?"

She turned around indignantly "What do you mean your place, I own…"

She stopped short when she saw the boy behind her. It was Natsume.

"You own?" he asked coolly.

"I own…my legs! And I'll keep them wherever I want! And I want to keep them in the grass under this Sakura tree"

"Fine" said Natsume, getting up, looking bored but with a mischievous glint in his eyes .

"Ow! You meanie! You smacked me!"

"Well, they're my hands and I'll keep them wherever I want"

"Pervert!"

Natsume almost smiled. There was something so ridiculously _endearing_ about the way the color rose up to her cheeks whenever she was angry or embarrassed. In this case, he suspected it was both.

"I found out all about you yesterday from one of the maids"

Mikan went cold. Had he found out the truth? She held her breath

"So you're one of the princess's maids right?"

Mikan let out a sigh of relief

"Oy, why're you imitating a windmill now?"

"Princess!" came Misaki's voice from above, "are you up?"

"I need to go" she said frantically.

"The princess stays on the first floor?" asked Natsume with a strange look.

"Huh? What? Listen, I really need to go"

As Mikan ran off, Natsume looked up and said "Interesting. So Yuka and the princess stay on the same floor. Well that much was obvious, considering that she's the princess's maid but how close are their rooms? It might be useful to befriend Yuka and try to get more information from her but on the other hand if she learns too much…"

He shook his head to clear it. He knew exactly how Persona dealt with over-knowledgeable people and for some bizarre reason that he couldn't even begin to fathom, he didn't want anything bad to happen to that girl.

*********************************************************************

"I'm here Misaki!" said Mikan, coming out of the bathroom with a towel around her hair.

"Princess, what were you thinking? Here I was on the verge of calling the guards. Can't you at least tell me if you wake up early and decide to go somewhere?"

"I'm sorry Misaki, I didn't want to disturb you" said Mikan with uncharacteristic meekness.

"Bah! Humbug! Didn't want me to disturb you is more like it!" said Misaki, "Well, I'll go get your gown" she said sighing, "What possessed you to wear that hideous old thing? You look like one of the maids?"

To her surprise, instead of looking chastened, the young princess giggled at this and said, "I do, don't I?"

As soon as Misaki went outside the room Mikan took the towel off to reveal her perfectly dry hair.

**********************************************************************

That afternoon Mikan decided to go see how her brother Youichi was. Or more accurately, to see whether his tutor was still alive. She sincerely pitied the poor man. After all, being saddled with a student who was not only totally unwilling to study, but also an expert at hiding in places that it took the poor teacher hours to locate could not be expected to be anything but torturous. As she neared Youichi's rooms, she could hear his tutor shouting "Prince Youichi that is enough! You are too old for these silly tricks, I…arrgh!"

Smiling, Mikan entered the room to see the instructor standing with his head covered with something that smelt terrible.

"Princess Sakura, that brother of yours! When I catch him, I'll….. He's always surrounded by the spirits of mischief!"

"What has he done now?" asked Mikan, maintaining a distance from the man in front of her. She was sympathetic enough to his plight but the smell coming off him was enough to disgust a skunk.

"When I refused to give him the day off he pelted me with Fart-bombs! Really, I must speak to Lady Hotaru about the inadvisability of selling such products to irresponsible young children. And as if that were not enough, when after searching for him for two hours, I finally found him, I saw, sorry _felt_, that that he had bought another one of Lady Hotaru's inventions!"

"I see" said Mikan, trying not to laugh, "Which ones did he buy this time?"

"The Jelly-Legs Spray! By the time that horrible green mist cleared, that young rascal had disappeared and I was left with legs that I could not move without wobbling! When the effect of the spray finally wore off, I came here, searching for him and once more he attacked me, this time with rotten eggs! God knows where he got them from. Surely none of the kitchen maids would give them to him!"

"Of course they wouldn't" said Mikan, knowing perfectly well that it was exactly the sort of thing that the younger maids would do. Youichi could be very charming when he wanted to be.

"…And by the time I had cleared my eyes, he had disappeared again!"

"I believe I just saw him in the gardens"

"Ah ha! I'll catch you this time Prince!"

The teacher ran out the room, gleefully rubbing his hands together at the prospect of finally catching the truant.

"You-chan, you can come out now" said Mikan, walking over to the fireplace.

For a moment there was no response and Mikan wondred whether she had been mistaken. Just as she was about to leave, Youichi slid down the chimney and dusted his soot-blackened shirt nonchalantly.

"What?" he asked

"I need a favor" said Mikan smiling mischievously.

She told him what she wanted.

Youichi's eyes widened and he said "No way Mikan, if Tsubasa finds out he'll…"

"But he won't find out"

"You'll land both of us in deep shit" he said shaking his head.

"Pleaseeee"

"Stop the puppy dog act, it won't work on me. But I just might do it if…"

"If what You-chan?"

"If you answer a question"

"What do you want to know?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Silly!" said Mikan, "Because I want to!"

"Well if you say so…" said Youichi doubtfully. Then he shrugged. "Whatever. Just write a note telling my teacher that I have severe….err….ghost fever and I can't study for a week"

"Ghost fever?"

"Whatever. Think of something. And you'll have to get Hotaru in too"

"Of course! I'll handle that You-chan! Thank you sooo much!"

************************************************************

"No" said Hotaru looking at her friend with implacable violet eyes.

"Puhleeseee Hotaru!" said Mikan beeschingly.

"No"

They were in Hotaru's lab. Mikan was attempting to convince her best friend to help her.

"But Hotaru…."

"No. It's a stupid waste of time"

"I'll pay you!" said Mikan desperately.

Money signs immediately popped up in Hotaru's eyes. "How much?"

"10,000 rabbits"

"Too low"

"12,000. It's all I can spare right now"

Hotaru turned back to her experiment. "Then I can't help you"

"Aww. Fine. Take 15,000 you meanie. That's all I have right now anyway"

"Deal"

*************************************************************

Mikan skipped along to her room, delighted with her plan. She thought about what she had overheard that day

_Flashback_

_Mikan was walking past the laundry room, when she heard the maid's voices say a familiar name_

"_....Natsume, yes that's what I heard"_

_She stopped in her tracks, curiosity overwhelming her._

"_Heard what?" she heard a shy voice ask. It was probably one of the new maids._

"_You are such a baby Nicola!" said another voice scornfully._

"_It's Natsume's birthday tomorrow, Nicola" explained another, kinder, voice._

"_Oh! Isn't he the footman who saved the princess's life? He must be very brave" came Nicola's voice, filled with admiration._

"_Of course he is!" declared a voice Mikan recognized. It was Sumire Shouda, the head of the maids, "And so incredibly handsome" she ended with a sigh_

_As the corridor echoed with giggles, Mikan walked away slowly, a plan forming in her head….._

_*************************************************************_

"Stage 1 begins" whispered Hotaru.

"Err….what was Stage 1 again?" asked Mikan.

**Baka**

"Ouch! Hotaru that hurt!" said Mikan, rubbing her forehead.

Hotaru shrugged and said "Just do what I told you to"

It was 6 in the morning and no one except the guards was awake. Mikan and Hotaru were in Hotaru's laboratory. Mikan was standing in front of a huge machine, feeling a little nervous. She trusted Hotaru's inventions but still….

"Get into that machine before I switch on the baka missile launcher"

Gulping, Mikan took a tentative step inside the machine and got sucked in before she had any time to do anything other than scream "Hotaruuuuuuuuu"

Hotaru pulled out a stopwatch.

After exactly 1 minute and 45 seconds she said, "14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and………"

The machine threw Mikan out like a giant spitting out a particularly disgusting food. Lights started glowing and liquids started churning inside it and finally, a door on the other end opened.

"Mikan" said Hotaru, in an emotionless voice, "Meet Amanatsu"

(a/n: did I get the name of the robot that Hotaru made based on Mikan right??)

********************************************************

The plan had been pretty simple. Hotaru would make a robotic clone to take Mikan's place in the castle while the real Mikan would be outside. Youichi was taking care of all the other arrangements to be made outside the palace.

Now there was just one thing left….

"Natsume!"

Natsume turned around and saw Mikan running towards him.

"What Polka?"

She turned beet-red and replied hotly "You….. No wait. I won't fight with you today. Come on, I want to show you something"

"What?" he asked, curious.

"Come on!" she said, smiling happily.

"What is Yuka so smug about?" wondered Natsume.

********************************************************

"Surprise!" she cried.

Natsume looked around him, stunned. They were in a huge ground of some kind and the only building he could he was a stable to their right.

"Is this your simple-minded idea of a joke" he said angrily. She had forced him to call in sick for work to show him an empty ground?

"No silly!" pouted Mikan, "The surprise is on your right"

He turned and said "I can't see anything now I think I …."

The words died in his mouth as she grabbed his arm and pointed "Look!"

He saw a grinning boy leading a beautiful black horse towards them.

"Do you want me to teach you how to ride?" he asked, running an experienced eye over the horse. He was gorgeous, he admitted, perfect in every way, with a beautiful stride. Already he itched to try him in a gallop. This was truly a horse fit for royalty. But the then he frowned. He could tell by the way the horse snorted and strained against his bridle that he was too spirited for someone as delicate as his Yuka to handle.

"What's the matter? Don't you like it?" she asked anxiously.

"No" he answered curtly.

She was very disappointed but then he added, "That horse isn't right for you"

She laughed. Natsume looked at her puzzled. Really, that girl had the most unpredictable and irrational reactions that he had ever seen!

"That horse isn't for me idiot!"

"Then?"

"He's yours"

Nasume just looked at her, amazed. It was the first time anyone had ever given him a present. A gift, just for his pleasure.

"What? Why are you acting like a child receiving his first ever gift?"

"Is it really for me?"

Mikan looked up at him. For the first time since she had first set eyes on him he looked unsure. Somehow, she knew that this was very important to him.

"Yes Natsume. It's all yours" she said gently.

He glared at her. "Why are you treating me like a one year old suddenly? And what is this present for?"

"The head groom told me that you often came to see the horses so I figured that you must like them and so I though that they would make the perfect birthday gift!" she announced proudly. See, Mikan can be clever too!

"Birthday present?" he asked mystified. Why the hell would she think that it was his birthday today?

"I overheard the maids talking about it so there's no need to pretend that it isn't true Natsume"

He sighed. As a spy, he found out the three biggest sources of _mis_information in the world – politicians, rich men's mistresses and servants.

Well, it looked like he would have to pretend that it was his birthday. To keep up appearances of course since the idiot was so thoroughly convinced that it was his birthday. And he couldn't very well turn up at work after reporting sick. So he would have to pretend. But it wasn't because Polka looked so proud of herself for arranging all this and he couldn't bring himself to burst her happy little bubble. And certainly not because he was pleased that somebody had actually though his birthday worth celebrating. No, his act wasn't for any of those reasons, he told himself, it was just to keep up appearances.

"Yes," he said "It's my birthday"

"Happy birthday Natsume" said Mikan happily and inexplicably, he smiled.

**********************************************************

"No Polka, you're doing it all wrong!" said Natsume exasperated.

The day was wearing into the afternoon and the civility that Mikan had displayed towards Natsume in honor of his birthday was wearing away too.

"Maybe you're wrong!" she cried angrily.

Natsume had offered to teach Mikan how to ride to which she replied that she already knew how to. But when her docile mare had been brought out from the stables Natsume had started laughing and said that if she considered that slug a horse he couldn't imagine her definition of riding. Annoyed by his taunts she offered to show him exactly how well she could ride by trying his horse, which he'd decided to name Sin, at a canter. One look at his face after she'd taken a round proved the foolishness of this decision. He looked like it was taking him all his self-control to not roll on the grass laughing.

_Flashback_

"_What in hell were you doing" he asked between unsuccessfully controlled snorts of laughter._

"_I was riding" she replied with dignity._

"_It looked more like you were posing for a picture. For god's sake Polka I expected you to fall off any second"_

"_The best instructors have taught me to ride like a lady'_

"_Ah" he said with an irritating smirk, "of course. How could I forget that the companion to the princess is a lady? But one thing's for sure Yuka, if you really want to ride and enjoy it you can't go about it like that. Tell me, did you ever actually enjoy your riding classes?" _

"_No" she said shaking her head._

"_I thought so. Want me to teach you?"_

_As she looked at him in amazement, he said with a careless shrug, "What? You gifted me a horse so I'm just repaying a debt. A favor for a favor"_

He really was a wonderful teacher. He taught her everything she had not known before and to his credit, looked like he was trying not to laugh at her futile first efforts almost as hard as she was working to improve them.

But he could be impatient too and they fought over almost every little thing. In the end a sort of pattern was established. Mikan would take a round with Sin, Natsume would criticize her, they would argue and then she'd go for the next round.

As sunset drew closer Mikan was tired and dirty. She was also amazingly happy with the progress she had made so far. Her legs ached and her body felt like somebody had sprayed it with Hotaru's Jelly-Legs Spray but she was actually enjoying something that she had earlier considered one of the most boring things ever!

"Watch out Natsume!" she cried "At this rate I'll soon be giving you competition!"

He shot her an amused smile "Oh yeah?"

A few seconds later Mikan's jaw dropped. Natsume on a horse was like magic. It seemed as if he were one with his mount. And then he did something so astounding that she gasped. He stood up on the horse's back! He looked at her and smirked and waved.

"Natsume you idiot! You'll fall off! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He rolled his eyes and slowed the horse down a bit. Just as she relaxed the horse reared up, threatening to throw it's rider off. As Mikan watched, fascinated, Natsume led the horse towards the obstacle course and made it jump over all the obstacles. But what made this unique and different from the horse races that Mikan had seen was his speed. Sin moved so fast that he was blur. Wow, thought Mikan, that must be a new record!

Finally he turned, faced her from the opposite end of the field and grinned. And then his horse started whinnied and ran furiously in her direction.

"Yuka! Run! I've lost control of Sin!"

Mikan tried to run, to get out of the way but Sin was the fastest horse that she had ever seen. As he came closer she screamed and threw her hands up to cover her face. But nothing happened. Finally after a minute, she uncovered her eyes to see Sin standing about a foot away from her and Natsume feeding him sugar, smirking in his usual irritating way.

"If you want to be better than me you'll have to be able to do that" he said.

"Fine I will you horrible, irritating boy! I challenge you! I'll be a better rider than you within three months!"

"Fine Polka" he said, walking away, "Hurry, we need to reach the palace before someone realizes that we're gone"

"Oh my god!" she thought "I almost forgot! Wait a minute, did I just challenge Natsume! Shit! Now I'll have to pay Hotaru to cover for me more frequently because there's no way I can do the stuff he did without loads of practice"

"Oh and by the way" he said turning around, "Aren't you too old for Strawberries?"

"Too old for Strawberries? Since when is there an age limit for eating fruits?" she asked, confused.

And then she got it….

"Pervert!"

They walked back to the castle arguing all the way.

**________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**A/N: Sorry guys, I know absolutely NOTHING about horses or sakura trees. Everything that I have written about them is based on various animes and my imagination since I'm too lazy to google them.**

**Also I don't think I'll be able to update again for 2 weeks since it's Diwali season here in India and my schedule's crazy! I'll be lucky if I get time to breathe!!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: In case you still didn't get it, I don't own Gakuen Alice

Thank you so much for the reviews PoisonLadyAnissina, friend, XxinucentdevilxX, Ichigo101 and behind-those-crimson-eyes,

CHAPTER THREE

Waking up to Misaki' insistent knocks on her door the day after Natsume's birthday, Mikan sleepily muttered "Two minutes more Misaki"

Misaki came in, looking annoyed. "Mikan come on! We've been through this every single day since I came here! NO, you cannot have two minutes extra!"

Mikan shook her head groggily "Aww hell Misaki, what are you so pissed off about anyway?"

Misaki turned around sharply, "Where did you pick that up from Princess?"

"Huh?"

"You're talking like one of the footmen or stable boys Princess!"

"Sorry Misaki" said Mikan, hoping that her blankets would cover her blush. Her fights with Natsume had definitely enriched her vocabulary. But as the young royal was, despite her muddled and sleepy head, an accomplished diplomat, she quickly changed the subject.

"So why are you in such a bad mood today Misaki?" she asked again.

Misaki glowered. "That arrogant brother of yours! He's impossible!"

Mikan almost chuckled. Tsubasa was so totally bowled over by Misaki that he seemed to have forgotten everything that his years as 'the playboy prince' had taught him and instead of confidently flirting with her, was reduced to schoolboy status by her presence. Mikan found this both entertaining and irritating.

******************************************************

While to say that Natsume was in Mikan's head all day would be a gross exaggeration he did cross her mind once or twice, during the more boring moments of the meeting that she was attending. But then that was only natural, she reasoned, since he was so irritating that she had to keep thinking of new insults for him. Actually she was starting to enjoy their arguments. A lot of people had disagreed with her but they had always been polite about it. Natsume was anything but. If he though she was talking a load of crap he just said so, without bothering to consider her 'feelings'. She found this indifference strangely exhilarating. She definitely did not want to lose this new friend of hers, even if it meant having to keep up the ridiculous charade of being Yuka.

So when she saw him in the hallway that evening she ducked behind a pillar and quickly took off her diamond necklace and other jewels that would have betrayed her true identity.

"Hello Natsume!" she said cheerfully, emerging from behind the pillar.

"Yo, Polka" he replied laconically

"So how was your day?"

"Dull as usual"

"Want to be sick again?" she asked mischievously.

"Hn…even being with someone as slow-witted as you wouldn't be as bad as this dull housework I suppose"

She laughed "You said the word housework with such distaste Nastsume! What else do you expect to do as a footman?"

He didn't reply. Actually he hadn't really thought about his mission lately. Since Persona had sent that person to complete the task supposedly given to him, he hadn't really been sure of what to do. But in the end he had decided to wait. Persona would undoubtedly act as soon as he received the information that his pet had saved his enemy's life. Meanwhile, although Persona had betrayed him, his spy network had been trained by Natsume and they were still loyal to him, not Persona, so he had sent some his best messages demanding information about the current situation in Persona's castle.

"Hey wait a second," came Mikan's voice, "Did you just call me slow-witted?"

He rolled his eyes. "You were saying Polkadots?"

She made a face and turned away "Pervert! I'm not even wearing those today!"

"First off, you're not two years old so stop it with those silly faces. They make you look even uglier than usual. Secondly, teddy bears? Can't you ever pick a mature pattern?"

"Fine. Tease all you like but I'm not going to tell you about my plan for tomorrow"

"Fine" he said, walking away.

Then he turned, "C'mon Yuka, tell me about your childish little 'plan' in the garden out here"

***********************************************************

And so it was settled. Natsume would pretend to have the flu so that he could be given leave for a week (but it would be deducted from his pay and so Mikan offered to pay him instead. Natsume snorted at that one) and since he was new to Alician, Mikan would show him the country she loved.

Mikan thought that this plan would help her get away from the paperwork and diplomatic duties that were an inevitable part of being a royal. She was tired of them and wanted a break badly. Well, accumulated stress does have its effects. Escpecially when it's had 18 years to accumulate.

Natsume, on the other hand, merely wanted to get away from the giggling fangirls that seemed to magically appear everywhere he went. Also he had been horrified to find that the housework to be done in a palace of this size was far more than he had imagined and the housekeeper Misaki was as stern a taskmaster as his old trainer. He'd definitely be glad to get away from such a situation.

Besides, Persona's betrayal had filled him with the need for a small betrayal of his own. A sort of childish revenge. And ignoring his duties for a while fit the bill perfectly. He felt a small glow of excitement at the thought, something that he hadn't felt for a long time. He knew it was silly, but it was the first time that he was defying the king openly in years. He found it difficult to really care for anything after seeing that person in the balcony that day and the feeling filled him with recklessness.

*********************************************************

"Are you certain about this baka?" asked Hotaru, her face betraying no expression.

"Of course Hotaru! How many times do I have to tell you? I trust Natsume" said Mikan impatiently, turning around. She was rummaging through her wardrobe, trying to find things that she could pass of as Yuka, the maid's.

"Why?" questioned Hotaru, still seemingly emotionless.

"Well," said Mikan thoughtfully, "I don't really know. Sometimes when you look at a person, you just feel as if it's all right. I can't describe it. The first time I saw him, I didn't really like him. I still don't but the major difference is that the first time I could tell that something was wrong. The next day, when he didn't know who I really was, he seemed different and I knew I could trust him. Sorry, I'm bad at explaining things but it's a sense. I can tell that I'll be safe with him"

"Hmmmm" said Hotaru.

"Hotaru!" cried Mikan exasperated "You're supposed to be helping me pack not sitting there with that impassive look!"

"That'll be 2000 rabbits for selecting the clothes you need to take and another 1500 for having the patience to listen to your whining voice"

"Fine! Just dump everything into this bag, I'm a lousy packer"

"And a bankrupt one?" came a teasing voice, "I see that Hotaru is busy legally doing what we usually hang bandits for"

A man's frame, silhouetted against the moonlight streaming in from the window could be seen. Mikan smiled when he turned and she could see his face clearly.

"How did your meeting with the foreign diplomats in Gakena go?" asked Hotaru.

The man sighed "So successfully that it bordered on boring"

Gakena was one of Alician's neighbours. It was a small country, famous for its excellent wine and beautiful orchards. Its relations with Alician were mostly those formed by trade and most of the fruit in the country was imported from there.

"So how is the beautiful Princess?" he asked.

"Tono-senpai! How many times have I told you that your famous flirtatious tricks won't work on me?"

"Going somewhere?" he asked, looking at the bag and the clothes strewn all over.

"No-o, I mean that…." Said Mikan, panicking at the thought of her plan's exposure.

"Yes" said Hotaru.

He raised an eyebrow "Does that mean you are going somewhere Lady Hotaru?"

"Yes"

"I see. But why do you need to borrow Princess Mikan's clothes for your journey?"

While Mikan started blubbering again, Hotaru calmly replied "It is for a very special purpose"

"And that purpose is…." prompted Tono.

Mikan could almost see the wheels whirring in the magnificent machine that was Hotaru's brain.

"The purpose is…"

"Mikan!" called another voice from the corridor.

"Ruka's calling me. I should go see what he wants" said Mikan, exhaling in relief.

"No, let him come in" said Hotaru, with an evil glint in her eye, "After all, he should be here when I tell Tono"

Tono, his curiosity by now thoroughly aroused called "Ruka! C'mon in mate!"

"What the…" said Ruka when he entered the room. He could hardly be blamed for his reaction as the scene he saw was a very

unusual one. Mikan and Hotaru appeared to be swimming in a sea of dresses and Tono was standing a few feet away from them.

Their backs were to the door so he couldn't see their expressions.

"The reason I'm packing" said Hotaru "is because Ruka and I are eloping and I want to wear the gorgeous wedding dress that was made for the Princess on my special day and she has kindly agreed to loan it to me"

"What?" yelped Ruka, looking like he was going to run away.

At the same time, Hotaru quickly flashed an embarrassing picture of him behind her back. He shut his mouth.

"Congratulations man! So it's all kinda hush-hush isn't it? Like a secret affair?"

"Exactly" affirmed Hotaru.

"Wow! I had no idea the two of you had a thing going. Well, I gotta go now so congrats again for your forthcoming wedding!"

Tono waved a goodbye and went away, leaving one stunned, one dazed and one calculating individual behind in the room.

"Huh? Hotaru? What was that all…" said Ruka, weakly.

"Yeah, since when are you and Ruka betrothed?" asked Mikan. Casting a hurt look at the two of them she said "I can't believe

you never told me, especially you Ruka"

While Ruka feebly muttered protests Hotaru took out her Baka machine and shot the two of them.

"I pretended to be eloping with Ruka because it just occurred to me that this would be the ideal way to cover up your

disappearance. We can't use Amanatsu for a week because she needs regular 3 hour repairs and that would look too suspicious. Of course I'll be expecting 20000 rabbits to be in my account by tomorrow morning for this. Plus an additional 5000 rabbits for the inconvenience of having to put up with him for a few weeks"

"But how will your eloping with Ruka help me?" asked Mikan.

Hotaru shot her again.

"Baka. You'll be my maid of honor of course"

"But what about later? You and Ruka can't pretend to be a married couple forever and I'll be coming back after a week"

"Of course I've thought of that too. After a week you will return and say that Ruka and I have left for our honeymoon. When we come back, we'll pretend to have a huge public quarrel and then file for divorce"

"That's brilliant Hotaru!" cried Mikan, laughing joyfully, "Now I can leave without having to worry about anything!"

"Just don't forget my money" reminded Hotaru expressionlessly.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on here?" asked Ruka.

They both looked at him and Mikan sighed. "Sit down Ruka, this is going to be a long story" she said.

***************************************************************************

"Natsume?"

Natsume turned sharply. There were only two people who were stealthy enough to enter his room without his detecting their presence and he had trained them both. But what the hell would….

He sighed "Ruka. What are you doing here? I told you not to come"

His best friend smiled "And since when have I started paying any attention to your orders?"

Natsume scowled "It's an unnecessary risk"

"And what you're doing is not?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hotaru won't leave you alive if Mikan doesn't return in a week. She is one scary woman"

"What in hell are you talking about?"

Ruka glared at Natsume and the expression looked so out of place on his handsome face that even Nastume was surprised.

"Don't lie to me!" said Ruka furiously "That was your reason for coming here wasn't it? To kill the Princess?"

"Yes" said Natsume, his face devoid of all emotion.

Ruka sat down on a chair with a thud "Look this whole case is messed up. Firstly why did you save her life if you wanted her dead in the first place?"

Natsume didn't answer.

"Tell me, dammit!"

"Next question, Ruka"

"But…"

"Next question" said Natsume and his voice was so firm that Ruka thought it best to drop the topic for now.

"Second, the Princess is just so… so…nice…it seems cruel and unfair to just murder her! Third if it so absolutely necessary to remove her, why are you, an expert, leaving behind a trail of clues that even a fool could pick up?"

"Will stop talking a load of shit and just explain?"

Just then a voice called out "Natsume!"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Just a sec. It's Polka"

He opened the door. A beaming Mikan was standing outside.

"It's all arranged Natsume!" she said happily.

"What's arranged?"

"The horses silly! You didn't think we were going to walk all the way did you?"

"Did you pick them?" he asked warily.

"Why?" asked Mikan puzzled

"Because I'd rather ride a tortoise rather than any horse picked by you"

"Why? What's wrong with my choice?"

"If the horse I saw yesterday was any indication, everything"

"Hmpf. I thought you liked Sin"

"I was referring to your old goat"

"For god's sake it's a horse not a menagerie!"

"Whatever. Who picked our horses?"

"My brother. But let me tell you that I think you are…."

"Whatever" he said, shutting the door on her indignant face.

When he turned, Natsume saw Ruka looking at him with an odd expression on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing"

"C'mon Ruka that idiot has tried my patience enough for one night. Stop being so enigmatic and just tell me whatever you came

here to say"

"Who was that girl?"

"Polka? She's one of the maids here, Yuka"

"I see" said Ruka, smiling.

"Now what were you saying?" asked Natsume impatiently.

"Nothing. Well I think I should be going now Natsume. Goodnight"

Natsume shook his head. "Sometimes I think that Persona's stuck you out in this asylum disguised as a castle too long"

*******************************************************

A persistent knocking could be heard down the hallway in the servant's quarters early the next morning.

"What the…." mumbled Natsume groggily. He cracked open an eye to glance at the clock hanging on the wall opposite his bed. 5 AM? Who in hell wanted to talk to him at this unearthly hour of dawn?

"Natsume! I'm going to break this door down if you don't open it right now!"

He groaned. Of course, who except Yuka would be stupid enough to shout the place down with her shrill, whinny voice at this time. He suppressed an urge to bang his head on the wall. Now he's have to get up to open ****ing door before the idiot woke everyone else up too.

On the other side of the door an impatient Mikan raised her hand to bang the door as hard as she could again. Unfortunately Natsume chose precisely that moment to open the door.

BANG!

"What the **** is wrong with you?" he furiously whispered.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Natsume" cried Mikan, "By the way why are you whispering?"

"Just for your information Polka, normal people tend to asleep at this hour"

"But we're going today!"

He rolled his eyes at her childish excitement over a simple week long vacation.

"Yes Polka but we're 'going' as you so aptly phrased it at noon not dawn"

"Oh" she pouted "Why can't we leave early like people in legends and fairytales who go on adventures?"

Natsume begged God to give him patience.

"Do I look like a freaking knight? Am I carrying a stupid metallic shield that get so overheated by the sun that I end up burnt whenever I touch it? Am I wearing a suit of armor that makes me look like an advertisement for a blacksmith? We are not in a goddamn fairytale, we are normal people and we will leave for our vacation _not_ 'adventure' after I get my sick leave from Misaki. Now will you just go back to sleep and let me rest?" said Natsume, finally losing his cool.

"You idiotic footman, how dare you……."

"Why are you talking like you own this place anyway?"

Mikan clamped her mouth shut because her angry retorts might make him suspicious. She didn't want him to know the truth just yet. Actually, she didn't want him to find out at all. Mikan realized that she was making a mistake in believing that her masquerade would last but she couldn't bring herself to just tell him and see him transform into yet another polite servant who would distance himself from her.

"What? Unwilling to honor me with a reply your highness?"

She looked at him sharply "What did you say?"

When she looked up at him, Natsume involuntarily caught his breath. She truly was beautiful but not in the same way as the other girls he'd been around. They had been glamorous, with the kind of blatant appeal that instantly attracts. Yuka was pretty but in a softer, more subtle way. He hadn't really noticed it at first but there was a definite aura of charm around her.

He pulled his thoughts together "You aren't screeching in my ears anymore. While I'm definitely grateful for that but I'd be a lot better if you just got out of here"

"But I can't go back right now" she said. Hotaru and Ruka had already left and she didn't want to run the risk of getting caught because it would ruin their whole plan.

"Fine. Stay here then" said Natsume with a defeated sigh.

********************************************

"Natsume! You lazy boy get out of bed! You're late for work!"

Misaki banged on the new footman's door impatiently. She felt totally exasperated. Not only had she had to calm Tsubasa after Mikan went away with Hotaru and Ruka (although Tsubasa did reluctantly acknowledge that Hotaru was better than any bodyguard when it came to looking after Mikan) but she was also puzzled. There had been nothing to prevent Hotaru and Ruka's marriage here in court so why had they eloped? Had it been any other couple she could have dismissed it as a romantic desire to play out a fairytale but Hotaru? The fairytale princess? No way. Hell would freeze over first. Adding to her foul mood was the realization that she had missed out on some of the castle's best gossip.

She banged on Natsume's door again. A coughing sound could be heard inside and a weak voice said "Come in"

She entered and saw Natsume lying on his bed, looking pale and miserable.

"I'm so sorry Misaki" he said "but I feel so bad. I'm afraid I….."

He broke off in a fit of coughing.

"I'll be back to work tomorrow"

" Nonsense!" said Misaki "You've obviously caught that nasty virus that has been doing rounds lately. Stay put in bed so that

you don't infect anyone else. We'll get someone else to handle your jobs meanwhile"

He nodded. "I've already sent a note to one of my friends down at the village. He's agreed to take my place"

"Fine then. You have this week off to rest"

Misaki left the room. When the sound of her footsteps could not be heard anymore, Mikan emerged from the cupboard.

"Pooh! It was so stinky over there! You pervert! Why did you push me into a disgusting cupboard with your dirty socks in it? There were so many other places to hide! Besides I heard you talk to Misaki and I must say that you are a TERRIBLE actor. You didn't sound like yourself at all, saying things like sorry and please. I didn't know that you were even aware these words even existed. I can't believe Misaki bought it, she must really have a lot on her mind today"

Natsume threw a pillow at her "Will you stop ranting Polka?"

She scowled. "Whatever" she said mockingly, in such a perfect imitation of him that he promptly threw the other pillow at her.

Natsume glared at Mikan.

Mikan glared at Natsume.

Yep, their 'adventure' had begun all right.

********************************************************************************************************

While this chapter ended differently in my mind, I don't really have the time to write that ending now, since I'm in a huge hurry. This chapter has not been edited so I'm sorry for any grammatical errors/spelling mistakes.

Also, a really important question: I can't decide whether to give my characters Alices or not. Tell me what you think! Suggestions are MOST welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Mikan couldn't believe that they were finally out of the castle. It had been ridiculously easy to escape. She and Natsume had gone through the main gate itself, their 'official' excuse being that they had to get Natsume checked by a doctor. All she had had to do was wear a hood and make sure that none of the guards caught sight of her face. One of the new recruits had seen her but since he didn't know what Princess Sakura looked like anyway, it didn't really make much of a difference.

"Oy Polka why do you keep looking over your shoulder? Admiring your own dandruff?"

Mikan's head snapped forward at once "I do not have dandruff!"

"Whatever"

Mikan glared at him. Natsume pulled Sin's reins, looking supremely indifferent to Mikan's expression.

"What?" asked Mikan pulling her own horse to a halt.

"Water" said Natsume pulling out a flask.

"Shit! I forgot to bring my bottle!" cried Mikan

"How is that even possible? I left it out on the table for you!"

"I forgot. Now are we going to reach our destination today or tomorrow?"

"Huh? I thought you had this trip all planned out already"

"Oh no! I thought it would be fun to just make up the plan as we go along! Natsume? What's wrong?"

Mikan could almost see flames around him

"You mean you didn't even bother to make any kind of arrangements?" he asked in a tightly controlled voice.

"No, why?"

"BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE NO FREAKIN' CLUE WHAT TO DO OR WHERE TO STAY OR …OR ANYTHING!!!"

Mikan blinked "You really need to relax Natsume"

He took a deep breath. Nope, no good. Which idiot said that a deep breath was beneficial anyway? The only therapy he needed to relax right now was smashing her skull.

"Besides," Mikan added, "Aren't things more fun when you don't plan them?"

Natsume thought about it. Truth be told he couldn't remember any occasion when he had simply acted, without days of careful planning and consideration.

Until he'd arrived in Alician, seen that person, had his world turn upside down……………………..

And met Yuka

* * *

And so they rode on. And surprisingly the 'unplanned plan' worked out pretty well too. On their first day out they decided to ride north, through Fiona's Forest, taking in the gorgeous scenery. The forest was famous for the magnificent waterfall that cascaded through the Alice Mountains and in its later courses was known as Alician, giving the country it flowed through its name. The waterfall itself was known simply as the Fiona. Legend had it that a beautiful lady named Fiona lived in the waterfall's thick sheet of water and it was her presence that made the waterfall far more beautiful than the dozens around the world.

They stopped near the waterfall to rest the horses. For a while, Natsume simply stood there and took in the amazing sight before him, the sound of the rushing water, the…….SPLAT!

"What the…" he spluttered indignantly, lifting his wet locks off his forehead.

Mikan was laughing at the sight of the oh-so-cool Natsume dripping water and seaweed all over.

"You…."

Uh-oh, thought Mikan, he looks kinda mad.

Suddenly, a mischievous idea popped up in her mind. She ran, knowing that Natsume would come after her.

"Yuka, you…..Get back here now! This isn't a playground it's a forest! If you get lost it'll take me hours to find……….AARGH!"

Mikan took a look at Natsume from the tree behind which she was hiding. She stifled a giggle. Natsume looked so ridiculous hanging upside down from a huge oak tree!

She walked up to him and said sweetly "Problem Natsume?"

"What the hell is this damn thing doing here?"

"It's a trap for poachers. By the way there's no need for you to poach. We have plenty of food"

"I wasn't poaching! Get me down from here!"

"Maybe later"

Just as Mikan went back to the horses and collapsed laughing.

"…….And you know what he said then Sin? He…."

"He said that you should start running or praying very, very hard"

Mikan turned around so fast that she hurt her neck.

"Natsume?" she said in disbelief.

"The one and only"

"How'd you get down?"

He started walking towards her.

"Yuka?"

"Yeah?"

He took another step closer and she walked back instinctively.

"Natsume, I'm warning you, don't come any closer or I'll……"

He continued walking.

She took another step backwards. "Look, I'll……………"

SPLASH!

Mikan fell into the river which had been Natsume's plan all along.

"Hmm" he said, while she spluttered and shook seaweed out of her hair, "Interesting technique but I don't see how your getting covered in seaweed would be a threat to me"

Just then, Sin whinnied.

"Looks like he's hungry. C'mon, lets eat"

"Wait!"

He turned and looked at her enquiringly.

"I'm kinda stuck. There was a hole in the river bed"

"Good"

Natsume started to walk away and Mikan cried "You can't just leave me here! I'm hungry too!"

"Catch" He tossed her a sandwich.

"A sandwich? You're tossing me a bloody sandwich while you sit and eat the roast chicken?"

"Take it or lump it. You don't really have a choice"

So Mikan ended up spending the rest of the afternoon alternatively chewing and hurling abuse at Natsume. Natsume totally ignored her and talked to Sin about irritating brunettes

When they were done he went to riverbed and said "Time to leave"

"Get me out of here!"

"Well I could leave you here I guess……"

"Don't you dare!"

He smirked "Hey relax Polka. You're not exactly in the position to be insulting me right now you know"

"Because I'm stuck in a lake?"

"No. Because a footman is higher up than a maid"

Mikan almost giggled. Who would have thought that the cold and arrogant Natsume had such an amazing sense of humor? Her amusement disappeared with his next sentence though.

"How about you say 'Please Natsume-sama?'"

"Natsume-SAMA?!?"

He shrugged and began to saddle the horses.

"Wait! Alright, alright, I'll say it! Please Natsume-sama!"

He gave her one of his trademark annoying smirks and grabbing hold of her hand, pulled her out.

Mikan came out of the river in an inelegant rush and landed on top of Natsume.

The sensation of Natsume's warm, hard body against hers was strange but oddly pleasant. Mikan stared at him. Why had she never noticed that his eyes were a mesmerizing shade of crimson? Or that he smelt absolutely fantastic? The scent was woodsy, earthy with a hint of……..

Suddenly Mikan realized what she was doing. Blushing she got up.

"Let's go" she said curtly.

Natsume stood up slowly, "Interesting" he said.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked it! This is the first time I'm attempting a NatsumexMikan rom-com style scene :)**

**BTW was Natsume too OOC (Out Of Character) here? **


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I do not own either Gakuen Alice or the song 'Crazier'**_

**Chapter Five**

As they sat watching the amazing sun set between the mountains of Kazira, Natsume began to count in his head.

"1…2…3…4…5"

"Natsume?"

"Yes Polka?" he groaned.

"Why is the sun yellow?"

He groaned again. Why him?

"Because it represents the golden purity of your soul?"

There was silence

"Err……….sorry?"

He rolled his eyes. "Forget it, I always sucked at getting people to shut up using flattery"

There was silence once more.

"1…2…3…4…5"

"Natsume?"

"Yes Polka?"

"Why did that churner at the hotel make noise when that woman was making butter in the backyard?"

He groaned again. This was one form of torture he had found he couldn't train himself against. Polka was just one of those people who believed that they would spontaneously combust if they went longer than 5 minutes without saying something.

"So that it could drown out your reedy, high pitched, whining voice"

Silence again.

"1…2…3…4…5"

"Natsume?"

"Hn" he didn't have the energy left for words.

"Why is…………."

"FOR HELL'S SAKE JUST SHUT UP POLKA OR I'LL THROW YOU OFF THIS FREAKIN' CLIFF!" Natsume shouted.

"Natsume?"

He stared at her in disbelief. Was the girl deaf?

"What will happen if you throw me off this cliff?"

He sighed and bought the earplugs he'd bought in a town they'd stopped at out of his bag. Popping them into his ears, he sat back and stared at the sunset. It was beautiful. No poet or artist could ever do it justice. The sun was like a bright yellow ball, settling between the two brown mountains, while giving off streaks of fiery orange. In Natsume's opinion it looked a lot like that weird yellow ice cream Polka had insisted he try. It hadn't been that bad. And neither, to his surprise, was she. She was clumsy and careless and totally incapable of understanding the beauty of silence. But still, she was warm hearted and fun to be with, always optimistic. Insanely so in his opinion. But then again, he did owe her a thank you for giving him the first vacation of his life

"Polka? Thanks for showing me Alician"

There was silence. For a second, Natsume thought that she was going to make some deep, philosophical comment. Then Mikan said "I'm hungry. When do we eat?"

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, lets head over to that little ice cream place in the town"

"You really like ice cream don't you?"

Natsume didn't answer. Mikan looked up at him to see the tiniest hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"Of course not Polka. I'm a guy. I do not like ice creams or howalons"

"Who said anything about howalons?"

He scowled and said "Look if you want to eat, stop talking and start walking"

As she got off the rock she'd been sitting on, Mikan noticed his eyes lingering on her a second too long and then he suddenly started walking towards the town with long strides.

"Hey wait up hare!" she said

"Hare?" said Natsume.

"You know, like that kid's tale, the fast hare and the slow tortoise"

"While I definitely do not resemble a hare in any way, the way you've been eating, you sure will end up looking like a tortoise. An exceptionally ugly one"

Mikan pouted "Natsume!"

"Do you realize that we've spent almost all our money and three quarters of it went on all the damn food you eat?"

As they walked to the ice cream shop, teasing each other and arguing as usual, they didn't notice the pair of blue eyes that were carefully watching them.

* * *

Over the past week, they'd toured the north western part of Alician. Mikan wasn't exactly a brilliant guide, with her extraordinary ability to start babbling and go completely off track at any point, but still they managed, mainly thanks to Natsume's earplugs. Their opinions about each other as well as their relationship had changed a lot over the past few days.

Natsume and Mikan still weren't exactly best friends of course (Natsume: Me? Best friends with that ugly Polka Dot? Mikan: Me? Best friends with that pervert?) but at least they didn't end up almost murdering each other whenever they were together. (Although this may have had a lot to with the fact that they'd lost nearly half their money paying an irate landlord's bills when Natsume accidently ending up burning part of the rest house they were staying in during one his spats with Mikan)

* * *

"Natsume! Look!"

"I'm looking Polka, I've got eyes haven't I?"

"I meant can you hear that amazing music?"

"Despite your constant screeching I haven't gone deaf yet, so yes"

"Then why are you still standing here?"

"Why are we playing Biology 101? Am I supposed to label body parts and their functions for your diminutive brain? I'm standing here because I happen to have 2 legs to stand on"

"C'mon, let's go dance!" said Mikan, pulling an unwilling Natsume into the hall.

The hall was brightly lit up and people were dancing near a small stage, on which a pretty blonde girl was singing. Another girl with bright red hair was playing a guitar.

Mikan tried to pull Natsume on to the dance floor as a cheerful folk song started playing.

"No way"

"Natsume!"

"I am not prancing around to a stupid song like this"

She pouted "Fine. What about the next one?"

"No"

"Please?"

"No"

"Pretty please?"

"No"

"Stop acting like a grouchy old man!"

"Hn"

"Fine. I'll go find someone else to dance with"

"Hn"

Natsume watched as Mikan went up to a young man and gave him her sunniest smile.

The man smiled back and said something. Mikan nodded her head eagerly and he took her hand and led her on to dance floor.

Suddenly, the beat of the song changed and the man turned around.

Oh, hell.

The man was in his mid twenties, with beautiful blonde hair and a charming smile. But his most striking feature was his eyes. His brilliant _violet_ eyes.

Damn it, thought Natsume, what in hell was one of Persona's men doing here?

Mikan felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Natsume.

"My dance" he said as the next song came on.

The minute Reo let go of her and they started dancing however he felt like kicking himself. He had seen the understanding in Reo's eyes. Now Reo knew that Mikan was somehow important to him. He tried to convince himself that he had simply done what he thought best at the moment and definitely not been prompted by twinges of jealousy or concern.

The blonde girl began to sing "I've never gone with the wind  
Just let it flow  
Let it take me where it wants to go  
Till you open the door  
There's so much more  
I've never seen it before

I was trying to fly  
But I couldn't find wings  
Then you came along  
And you changed everything

You lift my feet off the ground  
Spin me around  
You make me crazier, crazier  
Feels like I'm falling and I  
I'm lost in your eyes  
You make me crazier,  
Crazier, crazier

Watched from a distance as you  
Made life your own  
Every sky was your own kind of blue  
And I wanted to know  
How that would feel  
And you made it so real

You showed me something that I couldn't see  
Opened my eyes and you made me believe

You lift my feet off the ground  
Spin me around  
You make me crazier, crazier  
Feels like I'm falling and I  
I'm lost in your eyes  
You make me crazier,  
Crazier, crazier, oh

Baby, you showed me what living is for  
I don't want to hide anymore

You lift my feet off the ground  
You spin me around  
You make me crazier, crazier  
Feels like I'm falling and I  
I'm lost in your eyes  
You make me crazier,  
Crazier, crazier  
Crazier, crazier"

* * *

"Nastume Hyuuga, Persona has sent for you"

* * *

A/N: Cliffhanger!

Those of you who have been reading this story from the beginning may have noticed that the chapters have gotten a lot shorter. This is mainly because of the lack of reviews this story has got. So please if you read, do review! I really want to know whether you people liked this story or not!


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